The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as Batman, premiered on March 4, 2022. It instantly broke records and became the highest grossing film of 2022, as well as the highest grossing serial killer film.

It was the second “pandemic-era” to gross over $100 million in it’s opening weekend, following Spiderman: No Way Home. Pattinson’s performance has been praised, as well as Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, and Paul Dano as The Riddler.

While it would be hard to outdo 2008’s The Dark Knight, arguably the best live action Batman movie, this version comes close. Pattinson’s Batman shies away from the playboy aspect of the character that Christian Bale’s portrayal brought. He focuses more on the Batman part instead of a mix between Bruce Wayne and Batman.

It is a very dark movie, both in the mood and visually. Multiple villains appear, including the Penguin, Carmine Falcone, and The Riddler. Dano’s portrayal of The Riddler was very memorable, as he was the perfect pick to play the psychopathic character that he is. The only major complaint about the movie is the length. It is nearly three hours long, but in my opinion, there is nothing that could have been cut out to make it shorter. 

Barry Keoghan’s Joker was teased towards the end of the movie, and a deleted scene showing Joker talking to Batman in Arkham Asylum was released. This sparked much excitement about the future of the Pattinson Batman trilogy.

Although it will be nearly impossible to attempt to outdo Heath Ledger’s Joker, as well as Joaquin Phoenix’s, it will be fun to see Keoghan’s attempt to portray the iconic villain. The future of this franchise looks promising.